How was God Himself the inheritance of the Levites? How was God Himself the inheritance of the Levites? Subscribe to our Question of the Week : Question: "How was God Himself the inheritance of the Levites?" Answer: Deuteronomy 18:1–2 says that the Levites had a very special inheritance from God: “The Levitical priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings presented to the Lord, for that is their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them.” The other tribes of Israel received a land inheritance in Canaan, but the Levites received no land. Instead, the Levites were given certain cities within the other tribes’ territories. The Levites’ inheritance was God Himself in the sense that they were the ones chosen to oversee the worship of the entire nation of Israel. The Levites were responsible for the tabernacle and its implements as well as overseeing the sacrifices and offerings of the people. The priests were provided for through their service.

Deuteronomy 18:3–4 offers a summary of the Law’s provisions: “This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the internal organs and the meat from the head. You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep.” The fuller explanation of this teaching is found in Numbers 18. “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. . . . They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites’” (verses 21, 23–24). God was the unique inheritance to the Levites. He was the focus of their service, the source of their sustenance, and the significance of their calling.

Their inheritance included cities, daily food, and a constant vocation, but it did not include the same type of land inheritance given to the other tribes of Israel. Why was Dan removed from the list of 12 Israel tribes in Rev 7? - Christianity Stack Exchange up vote 3 down vote Jacob (Israel) had twelve sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin (Genesis 29:32 - 30:24 and Genesis 35:18). However the twelves tribes turned into thirteen when Jacob gave Joseph a 'double portion'. This meant that each of his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, became a tribe, rather than just the one tribe of Joseph (Genesis 48:5). However this thirteen became twelve again as the tribe of Levi received no land. The Levites were only given certain cities and was the tribe of the priesthood that received tithes of the other twelve tribes who tithed from their land.

Therefore the difference between the first and second column is that Joseph was split into Ephraim and Manasseh, while Levi was dedicated to the Lord. In Revelation Levi is very conspicuously brought back along side of the others. Obviously this is very symbolic, indicating the priesthood is over. Now bringing Levi back is effectively going back to the time before Jacob gave Joseph the double portion, so technically Dan should still be on the list and Ephraim and Manasseh should not, being that they are already represented in Joseph! Truly this is odd and must have some symbolic meaning. If we assume Dan is removed due to its idolatry, then Manasseh is added to fill Dan's place to keep the number twelve. Possibly the return of Levi and exclusion of Dan and indicates that the Levitical priesthood was over and original election according to the flesh really did not matter anymore. These tribes are actually symbolic of the whole invisible church 'extended' through history. This means they are not a strict grouping at a given time in history, otherwise Joseph and one of his sons would not be on the same list. The “Other Tribes”: Which Are They? - Ensign Jan.

1982 - ensign The “Other Tribes”: Which Are They? E-mail 03144_000_007 Although mention is often made of the Lord’s “other tribes” which were taken captive by the Assyrians in 722 B.C., the exact identity of the names of the ten “other tribes” is much less well known. Since an understanding of the ten tribes must begin with a knowledge of the original twelve, let us review the names of the sons of Jacob (Israel) for whom the twelve tribes of Israel are named: Reuben Joseph Benjamin Throughout the period of the exodus from Egypt, however, thirteen tribes are generally listed instead of twelve. This is because Jacob adopted the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, in order that they might have the double inheritance due to the birthright son. (See Gen. 48:5, 16 .) Thus, when the Israelites returned from Egypt to Canaan, each of the two tribes descended from Joseph was given a share of land.

Moreover, the tribe of Manasseh was further divided into two land groups in the settlement of the promised land, one half preferring to settle in the territory east of the Jordan, and the other taking up its inheritance in Canaan. (See map.) These two land divisions are mentioned numerous times in the Old Testament as distinct “half-tribes,” and so we often read of the “nine tribes, and the half tribe” that settled in Canaan and the “two tribes and the half tribe” that settled in trans-Jordan. (See Josh. 13:7 and Num. 34:15 .) The latter half-tribe was also referred to as “Machir,” after the son of Manasseh whose descendants comprised that half-tribe. (See Num. 32:40 ; Josh.

17:1 .) (click to view larger) The term “Blood Israel” refers only to the original twelve tribes of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi (refuge cities located within green areas), Judah, Dan (migration route indicated in red), Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph (entire inheritance area indicated in gray), and Benjamin. “Land Israel” refers to fourteen tribal units: eleven tribes plus the three sub-tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and the two half-tribes of Manasseh) considered separately. In effect, then, the subdividing of the land inheritance of Joseph into three allotments (Ephraim, Manasseh, Machir), plus the other eleven sons of Israel, brought the total number of distinct tribal groups mentioned to fourteen. Thereafter we must always be aware of the difference between “blood Israel” (the tribes descended from the twelve sons of Jacob) and what might be called “land Israel” (the tribal groups that received distinct land inheritances in Canaan). As one can see, the one blood-Israel tribe of Joseph resulted in three land-Israel inheritances.

To further complicate the matter, one of these fourteen groups—Levi—was given no land inheritance per se. Instead, the Levites were allotted cities throughout all of the various tribes, in order that they might serve the nation through the Aaronic Priesthood which they held. (See Num. 18:23–24 ; Num. 35:6–8 ; Josh. 13:33 .) Also, one of the tribes—Dan—had to forego its original allotted portion bordering on the west of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim because of its inability to cope with Philistine invasions. The struggle between the Danites and the Philistines is partially chronicled in the story of Samson. (See Judg. 13–16 .) Ultimately, however, the tribe of Dan left its seacoast inheritance and migrated to the north, where they settled in the Hulah valley. (See Judg. 18 .) Had they not done so, they would perhaps not have been taken captive by the Assyrians centuries later.

By the time the period of the judges ended (about 1050 B.C.), all the land and blood tribes of Israel were at last united into a kingdom under Saul and later David. In the time of Solomon, however, the prophet Ahijah informed Jeroboam, an Ephraimite, that it was the Lord’s intention to give him ten of the tribes, while Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, would retain but one tribe. (See 1 Kgs. 11:29–37 ; 1 Kgs. 12:20 .) Thus it was that Jeroboam became king of Israel while Rehoboam remained king of Judah. The first question is, if ten tribes went to Jeroboam and one (Judah) to Rehoboam, what of the remaining tribal groups? And what tribal grouping was it—land groups or blood groups? Or a combination of both? One of the land groups not accounted for in Ahijah’s prophecy is Simeon, whose inheritance was in the Negev region around Beer-sheba.

Jacob had prophesied of the people of Simeon (and Levi as well) that the Lord would “scatter them in Israel.” ( Gen. 49:7 .) Moses , too, when he blessed the tribes of Israel ( Deut. 33 ), omitted the name of Simeon; and after the time of the initial settlement of the promised land, there are no further historical records concerning the land group of Simeon, though the blood group is listed in prophecy. Simeon was the only tribe of Israel to be completely surrounded by one other tribe—by Judah. Consequently, it is likely that as a distinct land and even blood group that Simeon became assimilated largely into the tribe of Judah by the time of Rehoboam, and that the term “Judah” always included Simeon. Benjamin, too, is mentioned as part of Judah at the time of Rehoboam (see 1 Kgs. 12:20–21, 23 ; also 2 Chr. 11:3, 23 ), although a portion of Benjamin was initially retained by Jeroboam.

But by the time of Asa, king of Judah (955 B.C.), all the territory of Benjamin had been captured by the kingdom of Judah and Benjamin remained thereafter a land part of Judah only. This is confirmed by the numerous passages listing the two tribes together. (See, for example, 2 Chr. 15:2, 8–9 ; 2 Chr. 25:5 ; 2 Chr. 31:1 ; 2 Chr. 34:9, 32 .) The Levites, who had no major land inheritance, owed much of their allegiance and service to the temple in Judah’s Jerusalem. Jeroboam therefore expelled most of the Levites from his kingdom and appointed non-Levites as priests to serve in his apostate temples. (See 1 Kgs. 12:26–33 ; 2 Chr. 11:13–16 ; 2 Chr.

13:9–11 .) Thus the blood tribe of Levi, having “resorted to him [Rehoboam] out of all their coasts” and having “left their suburbs and their possession and [come] to Judah and Jerusalem” ( 2 Chr. 11:13–14 ) also ended up, for the most part, in the land kingdom of Judah. In time, however, both the northern and southern kingdoms were to suffer the fate of exile. The kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 722 B.C., while Judah fell to the Assyrians’ conquerors, the Babylonians, in 586 B.C. The people of the northern kingdom that were taken away never returned to reclaim their land, and eventually they became the “lost tribes”—that is, lost to the record-keepers of Judah. The people of land Judah were more fortunate. In 537 B.C., Cyrus II of Persia, who had conquered Babylon, issued a decree allowing the people of Judah to return home and rebuild Jerusalem and their temple.

The genealogies of the returnees from Babylon inform us of the major blood composition of the kingdom of Judah. They were of the blood tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. (See Ezra 1:5 ; Ezra 4:1 ; Ezra 10:9 ; Neh. 11:4 ff., Neh. 11:36 ; Neh. 12:34 ff.) If we include Simeon, which appears to have been absorbed as a blood group by Judah, we have four of the blood tribes of Israel accounted for in the southern kingdom of Judah, and they have endured with Judah all that has befallen the Jews the past 2,000 years. However, this means that only eight of the original twelve tribes of “blood Israel” were living in the north at the time of the Assyrian captivity. But these eight tribes of “blood Israel” accounted for ten tribal groups of “land Israel.” We count ten “lost” tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel by remembering that the tribe of Joseph was divided into three land and people elements for the purpose of land inheritance—Ephraim and the two subdivisions of Manasseh.

Hence, the “ten lost tribes” are ten lost land groups and are accounted for as follows: Reuben Gad Half-tribe of Manasseh (Machir) As is well known, there is clear evidence that not all members of the tribes listed above were taken captive. Some members of these tribes were left behind on the land, while others fled to the kingdom of Judah for refuge. (See, for example, 2 Chr. 11:16–17 ; 2 Chr. 15:9 ; 2 Chr. 30:1, 5–6, 10–11, 25 .) Consequently, descendants of these “lost” tribal groups remained among the Jews and have thus been spread throughout the world today. As a result, some of each of the Twelve blood tribes have been gathered in this last dispensation to reassemble under the banner of the One King who is destined to reunite all Israel in these last days.

The promise is that we shall yet have the joy of helping all of Israel—blood-tribe Israel and land-tribe Israel—to gather under the gospel banner from the four quarters of the earth as a result of the last days gathering of the dispersed and outcasts of Israel. It is a promise in which we all have great faith and confidence. John A. Tvedtnes, now working toward a doctorate in Egyptian and Semitic languages, teaches Sunday School in his Salt Lake City ward. Where are the lost tribes of Israel? « Why Israel? Where are the lost tribes of Israel? editor Tuesday 12 January 2010 by Barry Strong About 2,700 years ago the land of Israel was invaded by Assyria and ten of the nation’s tribes were carried away into captivity. No return of these tribes to their land has been recorded in the Bible or in secular histories. Nothing more has been heard of them. Apparently they vanished without trace. But the Bible says they have an important place in Israel’s future. Many Christians understand that, just as he promised long ago, God is once again taking up his ancient people, the Jews, and is returning them to their land.

But any understanding we may have of what God is doing in the Middle East today is incomplete if it ignores the question of the lost tribes. God’s programme for Israel involves the whole nation. So the question is: where are the lost tribes of Israel? Hebrew, Isrealite and Jew We must begin by being clear as to the true biblical meanings of the words Hebrew, Israelite and Jew. Contrary to what most people think, these words are not interchangeable. Abraham came from the city of Ur in ancient Chaldaea (Gen 11:27-28, Gen 15:7). He was called a Hebrew (Gen 14:13). Some say that this word comes from the name of Abraham’s ancestor Eber (Gen 10:21) or Heber (Luke 3:35). Others say that it comes from the word ibri which meant, in Abraham’s language, ‘a person from the other side’. All Abraham’s descendants are Hebrews. Abraham’s grandson Jacob was renamed Israel (Gen 32:28).

He became the father of twelve sons – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin. These were the founding fathers of the tribes of Israel. All members of these tribes are Israelites since they are descended from Jacob. Since they are also descended from Abraham they are also Hebrews. When the Israelites came out of Egypt to occupy the land God had promised them the conquered territory was divided among the tribes. The Levites, however, as the tribe from which the priests were exclusively appointed, received no tribal territory but were given cities of their own in various places throughout the land (Num 35:1-8). These cities had only limited amounts of land surrounding them. The Levites were subsidised by the other tribes (Num 18:24). The tribe of Joseph was subdivided into the two half-tribes of his sons Ephraim and Manasseh and these two half-tribes were promoted to the status of full tribes for purposes of land division.

That was in accordance with an instruction of Jacob (Gen 48:3-6) that these two grandsons should be considered founders of separate tribes and should possess separate territories, ranking equally with his sons Reuben, Simeon and the others. If the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh are considered separately and if the tribe of Levi is included there are actually thirteen tribes. When the Bible speaks of the twelve tribes of Israel it means, according to context, either (a) ethnically, all the descendants of Jacob’s twelve sons or (b) territorially, the twelve divisions of the land and their inhabitants. Jew comes from Judah The word Jew comes from the name Judah and originally meant a member of the tribe of Judah. Both these words – Judah and Jew – came to have wider meanings. So did the word Ephraim. To discover how this came about we have to look at some of the nation’s history.

After many military campaigns against other nations occupying the land, which had continued, on and off, for about 300 years since the Israelites’ entry under the leadership of Joshua around 1200 BC, the country was eventually consolidated and made secure by King David, who was of the tribe of Judah (Mat 1:3-6). David’s son Solomon thus inherited a kingdom at peace with its subjugated neighbours. It was during Solomon’s reign that the first temple was built in the capital, Jerusalem. Although God gave Solomon great wisdom (1 Ki 3:12), he was foolish enough to disobey God by taking many foreign wives. Predictably, these women brought their heathen religions with them and, under their influence, Solomon instituted officially approved worship of heathen gods in Israel (1 Ki 11:1-8). God was angry with Solomon for this and told him that he deserved to have the kingdom taken away from him. God remembered, however, a promise he had made to David that, come what may, he would never take the throne away from David’s son and descendants (2 Sam 7:12-16).

God told Solomon that, although he would remain king, he would allow his son and successor, Rehoboam, to be king over only one tribe. The other tribes would be given to someone else (1 Ki 11:11-13). Jeroboam of the tribe of Ephraim Solomon had appointed a man called Jeroboam, of the tribe of Ephraim, director of forced labour gangs recruited to carry out certain building repair and construction work. The prophet Ahijah identified Jeroboam as the man God had chosen to be king over the tribes to be separated off after Solomon’s death. When Solomon found out about this he tried to have Jeroboam killed, but Jeroboam fled the country and took refuge with Shishak, king of Egypt (1 Ki 11:40). Solomon died in 922 BC and was succeeded by his son Rehoboam. When Jeroboam heard that Solomon was dead he returned from Egypt and got an audience with the new king. He wanted to know whether Rehoboam would continue the harsh domestic policies of his father – forced labour and heavy taxation – or whether easier times could now be expected.

Rehoboam first consulted his older, experienced advisers who recommended an easing of the burdens. Then he consulted inexperienced younger men of his own generation. The young men recommended a heavy-handed policy. Rehoboam took their advice, telling Jeroboam that the people could expect even harsher treatment from him than they had received from Solomon. Outraged, ten of the tribes rebelled and, forming a separate state in the north, made Jeroboam their king (1 Ki 12:1-18). They eventually established their capital at Samaria. According to the Bible Rehoboam was left with only one tribe, his own tribe of Judah (2 Ki 17:18). That statement, however, needs amplifying. Israel’s first king, Saul, had been of the tribe of Benjamin (1 Sam 9:21). In the days of Saul’s reign a close friendship sprang up between David and Saul’s son Jonathan. The story of Saul’s unjust hatred and pursuit of David is told in the first book of Samuel.

During this period David and Jonathan made a solemn agreement that David, if he came to power, would not take revenge on Jonathan’s family (1 Sam 20:12-17). When David became king one of his first desires was to keep this agreement and be reconciled with any remaining members of the house of Saul. He showed special kindness to Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth, a cripple (2 Sam 9:1-13). From that time forward the two tribes were considered linked in a special way. When Jeroboam rebelled the Benjamites joined forces with Judah with the intention of recovering the other tribes for Rehoboam, but God blocked that plan (1 Ki 12:21-24). Rehoboam was left with Judah, Benjamin and, of course, those Levites who were resident in his territory. When God said ‘one tribe’ he was speaking territorially, Benjamin being regarded as incorporated in Judah. Jeroboam thought it would be unwise to allow the subjects of his new kingdom to continue to visit the enemy capital, Jerusalem, to worship at the temple or keep the traditional festivals of Israel. They might be tempted to change sides.

He established two new religious centres in his own kingdom, one at Bethel and the other at Dan, at which the worship of golden calves was instituted (1 Ki 12:25-33). He also established new heathen priesthoods in various other places (1 Ki 13:33). The Levites who lived in cities in his territory were forbidden to continue to go to the temple at Jerusalem to serve by rotation as priests. These Levites therefore left their cities and removed to Rehoboam’s kingdom where they continued to enjoy their priestly privileges. Some others of Jeroboam’s subjects followed the Levites’ example, removing to Rehoboam’s kingdom and clinging to their historic faith (2 Chr 11:13-17). The southern kingdom The southern kingdom thus came to contain not only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin but also the whole tribe of Levi and a smaller admixture of refugees from other tribes. (Later on, in the reign of King Asa, who instituted certain reforms, more refugees from the tribes of Simeon, Ephraim and Manasseh came over to the southern kingdom (2 Chr 15:9)).

This kingdom called itself Judah after the name of its senior tribe. From that time forward the word Jew no longer had the restricted meaning of a member of the tribe of Judah but the wider meaning of a subject of the kingdom of Judah. All Jews you meet today are descendants of subjects of the southern kingdom of Judah, although they are not all of the tribe of Judah. When our Lord was presented as a child at the temple in Jerusalem his family was greeted by a woman named Anna who was a Jewess of the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36-38). She would have been a descendant of one of the refugees who left Jeroboam’s kingdom for Rehoboam’s. The word Jew, in fact, is used in the Bible only in this sense of a subject of the southern kingdom or a descendant of one. The Bible calls the patriarchs Hebrews, not Jews. The people God brought out of Egypt were called Hebrews or the children of Israel, not the Jewish people. Subjects of the northern kingdom were Israelites but not Jews. If anyone doubts this, because he has been taught otherwise, he may check the fact in a concordance to the Bible (Authorised Version).

He will not begin to find the words Jew, Jews or Jewish until he comes to verse 6 of chapter 16 of the second Book of Kings – nearly halfway through the pages of the Old Testament. The northern kingdom The northern kingdom was sometimes called Ephraim after the name of its senior tribe, to which Jeroboam belonged (e.g., Isa 11:13, Hos 6:4). But the prophets usually called the northern kingdom Israel and the southern kingdom Judah. The greater number of the tribes of Israel – ten of them – belonged to the northern kingdom. But now the possibility of confusion arises because Judah also called itself Israel. That was not incorrect since the subjects of both kingdoms were all descended from Jacob, who was renamed Israel. When Bible writers who lived after the time of Solomon use the expression ‘the house of Israel’ they mean the northern kingdom. When they use the terms ‘Judah’ or ‘the house of Judah’ they mean the southern kingdom. When they use the word Israel they could mean either or both but usually the northern kingdom (e.g., 2 Ki 15:1, 2 Ki 17:1).

When they refer to all descendants of Jacob collectively they call them Jacob, all Israel or the whole house of Israel, but sometimes just Israel. When we see the word Israel we must study the context to see exactly who are meant. Similarly, when we see the word Ephraim we have to study the context to discover whether it is the whole northern kingdom which is meant or just the tribe of Ephraim. In a few rare instances the name of Joseph (Ephraim’s father) is substituted for that of Ephraim (e.g., Rev 7:8). Fortunately, the contexts make matters fairly clear, but I shall keep things simple by referring to the southern kingdom as Judah, and its people as the Jews, and the northern one as the ten tribes. These matters are summarised in the diagram appended to this paper. Over the next 200 years nineteen kings, from Jeroboam to Hoshea, reigned over the ten tribes. Not one of them returned to the worship of the God of Israel. God sent his prophets to the ten tribes – Elijah, for example – but any success they had was only temporary and limited.

The story of the reigns of the northern kings is one of unbroken spiritual and moral degeneration. Eventually God’s patience was exhausted. The ten tribes would be rejected and driven out of their land. God announced that decision through the prophet Hosea in a particularly graphic way. He told the prophet to take an adulterous woman to wife, symbolising the infidelity of the ten tribes to himself. Three children were born of this union. God told Hosea to call the third Lo-ammi which means ‘not my people’ (Hos 1:2-8). The ten tribes would no longer be God’s people and he would no longer be their God. That, however, would not be a permanent state of affairs. A day would come when God would bring their descendants back to their land and be reconciled with them. This statement is very important for our understanding of what God is doing in the Middle East today and I quote it here in full: Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi, for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.

Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered: and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head. (Hos 1:9-11a.) It is important to realise that the words ‘Ye are not my people and I will not be your God’ were addressed to the ten tribes, not to the Jews. The Jews remained God’s people. Not only would God reject the ten tribes, but also the ten tribes would no longer acknowledge the God of Israel. In effect they would entirely cease to be recognisable as an Israelite community. The unity of Israel was based on a spiritual unity. Without spiritual unity there can be no lasting social or political unity. The Bible teaches this lesson repeatedly.

The reason why, for the last 2,700 years, no one has been able to identify the ten tribes is that they have, unlike the Jews, utterly lost sight of their spiritual roots and have therefore also lost their social cohesion. They did not have to wander far from Israel, or from each other, to lose that cohesion. They began to lose it the moment they crossed the border. The Jews, on the other hand, although they have been scattered to the ends of the earth, have retained their sense of communal identity wherever they are found. The Jews know who they are, but the ten tribes do not. If, throughout the last 2,700 years, members of the ten tribes have not known who they truly are then it follows that no one else, apart from God, can have known either. That is why we must dismiss all the romantic theories which have been put forward about descendants of the ten tribes being represented among the North American Indians, in communities in China, in the British royal family or anywhere else. They became completely indistinguishable from their new compatriots and we cannot know who they are until they reappear in the land of Israel.

The words ‘in the place’ and ‘there’ contained in the statement can bear only a geographical interpretation. The ten tribes must one day return to their land, resume their ancient faith and be gloriously reunited with their brothers the Jews. If they returned to their faith before they returned to their land there would be no problem of spiritual, social and political reunion with the Jews. If, however, they returned to the land before they returned to their faith there could be no real social or political unity with the Jews for as long as that situation lasted. Which of these two possible conditions must we expect to turn out be the actual one? The answer is, the second. God said in this statement that he would re-adopt the ten tribes ‘in the place’ where he had rejected them. They must obviously be in the land again before this happens. The ten tribes must return to the land of Israel still in ignorance of their real identity, and until God opens the eyes of both the ten tribes and the Jews we would not expect any fraternal feelings to develop between the two sides. The final thing to notice about the statement is that, on or following the return of the ten tribes, both they and the Jews will be united under one king.

That king will of course be that Son of David who declared himself to be ‘greater than Solomon’, namely the nation’s Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Kings of Israel In the reign of King Pekah (737-732 BC) the Assyrian king Tiglath-Peleser invaded the northern kingdom of Israel and carried some of the population into captivity in Assyria (2 Ki 15:29, 1 Chr 5:26). In 722 BC the army of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser again invaded the land and captured the capital Samaria after a three-year siege. Then his forces went throughout the northern kingdom taking the entire population captive. The people were forcibly removed and resettled in other territories administered by Assyria (2 Ki 17:1-6). They were replaced by colonists brought there from other parts of the Assyrian Empire. These colonists did not at first prosper. In fact they were continually attacked by wild beasts. They attributed their difficulties to the opposition of the God of the land, so they found among the exiles someone with some knowledge of the Israelite religion and brought him to Bethel to establish a form of it there.

They continued, however, also to worship their own heathen gods (2 Ki 17:24-41). These newcomers came to be known as the Samaritans, after the name of the capital Samaria. They were despised by Judah as supplanters of their Israelite brothers and practitioners of an inferior form of worship of the God of Israel not centred on the temple system (John 4:9, John 4:20). There are Samaritans in Israel today who claim to be members of the ten tribes. They are mistaken. The Samaritans replaced the ten tribes, taking over their vacated lands. What are the twelve tribes of Israel? What are the twelve tribes of Israel? Subscribe to our Question of the Week : Question: "What are the twelve tribes of Israel?" Answer: The twelve tribes of Israel came from the twelve sons of Israel. “Israel” is the name that God gave Jacob (Genesis 32:28).

His twelve sons are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin (Genesis 35:23-26; Exodus 1:1–4; 1 Chronicles 2:1–2). When the tribes inherited the Promised Land, Levi’s descendants did not receive a territory for themselves (Joshua 13:14). Instead, they became priests and had several cities scattered throughout all of Israel. Joseph’s tribe was divided in two—Jacob had adopted Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, essentially giving Joseph a double portion for his faithfulness in saving the family from famine (Genesis 47:11–12). This means the tribes who received territory in the Promised Land were Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. In some places in Scripture, the tribe of Ephraim is referred to as the tribe of Joseph (Numbers 1:32–33).

After King Solomon died, Israel split into two kingdoms. Judah, to the south, included Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. The other tribes combined to make the kingdom of Israel in the north. Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians, and most of the Israelites were either killed or deported; the Israelites who remained most likely integrated with the kingdom of Judah. Jesus was from Judah, Paul was from Benjamin, and John the Baptist was a Levite, but, since the diaspora in A.D. 70, identifying the tribe of a modern Jew is a little more difficult. That doesn't mean that the tribal divisions are irrelevant. During the tribulation , when most of the world has abandoned God and is following the Antichrist , 144,000 Jews will be sealed by God. This number comprises 12,000 from each tribe. So, even if we don’t know who is in what tribe, God has kept track. The tribes are listed again in Revelation 7:5-8, but they are not the same tribes that were given land in Joshua. Manasseh is there, and Ephraim (under Joseph’s name).

But instead of Dan, Levi is included. No explanation is given as to why. Division of the Promised Land Map of the Children of Israel Asher - Benjamin - Dan - Ephraim - Gad - Isaachar Judah - Manasseh - Naphtali - Reuben - Simeon - Zebulon The twelve tribes listed above, who inherited the promised land , are named after the sons of Jacob. The patriarch had his name changed to Israel after wrestling with and prevailing over an angel (see Genesis 32). One tribe missing from the above list is Levi. Levi's descendants were consecrated, by God, to be his priests . One of their many responsibilities was to serve and maintain the tabernacle in the wilderness , then later the temple in Jerusalem . Instead of receiving territory as an inheritance in the promised land, the Levites received tithes and offerings from the people (Numbers 18, Deuteronomy 18, etc.). Although Joseph was also one of Jacob's sons, he too is usually omitted from lists of the tribes. This is because his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh , were adopted by Jacob in his stead (Genesis 48).

How did they end up in Egypt? Jacob's favorite wife Rachel had a child named Joseph. He became his father's favorite son because he was born when Jacob was old (Genesis 37:3). Joseph was so loved by his father that he received from him a coat of many colors (Genesis 37). Joseph's brothers, envious of his special treatment by their father, wanted to kill him. Reuben, Jacob's firstborn son, kept Joseph from being murdered only to have him sold to slave traders on their way to Egypt . Joseph is soon bought by one of Pharaoh's officers. In Egypt God is with Joseph and blesses him. After a series of events and trials (see Genesis 39-41) he is made ruler over Egypt (see Genesis 41:40-41). After Egypt experiences seven years of bountiful harvests (where Joseph stores extra food) a famine overtakes not only the country but also the land of Canaan where Jacob and his entire family are living. In 1685 B.C. Jacob and his entire household (which includes Joseph's eleven brothers) move to Egypt's land of Goshen in order to survive the famine.

Jacob (Israel) lives 17 years in Egypt and dies at the age of 147. Joseph lives to the age of 110.

Question: In the Bible which of the tribes of Israel received no land and were appointed to be priests?
Answer: LEVITES